Roots and stems of plants of the genus Salacia have been used as natural drugs in a traditional medicine called “Ayurveda” in India and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, it is traditionally known that the root bark of Salacia reticulata is effective for treatment of rheumatism, gonorrhoea, and skin diseases. Also, the tradition of using the root bark for treatment of early diabetes has been carried on.
It has been revealed that an extract or crushed product of a plant of the genus Salacia is effective to change the intestinal flora. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an agent for preventing an increase in body weight, which contains an extract of a plant of the genus Salacia, wherein the extract of a plant of the genus Salacia causes an increase in the proportion of the phylum Bacteroidetes and a decrease in the proportion of the phylum Firmicutes in the intestinal flora, thereby adjusting the component ratio of the intestinal flora. Patent Literature 2 discloses a method for reducing Enterobacter or Clostridium bacteria using crushed product or extract of plant of the genus Salacia and flavonoids.